Christopher Wilson

Christopher Wilson is the Senior Associate at the Mexico Institute of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, where he leads the Institute’s research and programming on regional economic integration and U.S.-Mexico border affairs. He is the author of Working Together: Economic Ties between the United States and Mexico (Wilson Center, 2011) and coauthor of the State of the Border Report (Wilson Center, 2013). Chris has testified before the United States Congress and is regularly consulted by national and international media outlets regarding U.S.-Mexico relations. He has written opinion columns for the Wall Street Journal, Politico, CNN, and Reuters, among others. Chris previously worked as a contractor doing Mexico analysis for the U.S. military and as a researcher at American University’s Center for North American Studies. In Mexico, he worked briefly with the international trade consultancy IQOM, Inteligencia Comercial, and with American students studying regional political and social issues. He completed his M.A. in International Affairs at American University, focusing on U.S. foreign policy and hemispheric relations.

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David Rusk, a former mayor of Albuquerque, joins us for a look at his book, “Cities without Suburbs.” Blair Ruble joins the discussion. Christopher Wilson discusses the newly released “The State of the Border Report." more

As the debate over immigration reform has brought the management of the U.S.-Mexico border back into the spotlight, this report provides a comprehensive look at the state of affairs in the management of the U.S.-Mexico border and the border region, focusing on four core areas: trade and competitiveness, security, sustainability, and quality of life. The report suggests that rather than consider each issue individually, the interdependent nature of topics like trade and security demand the border be approached from a more holistic perspective. more

As the debate over immigration reform has brought the management of the U.S.-Mexico border back into the spotlight, the Mexico Institute is pleased to invite you to the launch of its new State of the Border Report.
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Cynthia Arnson, Eric Olson and Chris Wilson and commented on the Obama’s trip to Mexico and Costa Rica. Their comments were mentioned in this article about the issues that are going to be discussed with Obama’s visit to the region. This was also published in Worldland news. more

On the same day that President Obama begins his trip to Latin America, the authors of the Mexico Institute’s new policy report will present their recommendations for strengthening U.S.-Mexico relations. more

A close reading of the senators’ framework gives the impression that the next round of strengthening border security might look a lot like previous rounds. That would be a mistake. Staffing and budgets for areas between the ports of entry have doubled since 2004 and are now at a level where even major increases would produce only marginal security gains. more

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Mexico Institute Director Duncan Wood and Associate Christopher Wilson responded to the U.S. Department of Commerce Federal Register Notice published on November 25, 2013, which requested stakeholder input on the U.S.‐Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED).

With the North American Free Trade Agreement completing 20 years, it is a good moment to reflect and look toward the region’s future and its place in the world economy. It is important to recognize that NAFTA was a first-generation free trade agreement, originally conceived in the 1980s, and for that reason it was very limited.

In this Context interview, an international panel offered their perspectives on the 20th Anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement and its successes, failures, and implications for future trade agreements.

Vice-President Joe Biden visited Mexico on Friday to inaugurate the first High Level Economic Dialogue between the two nations. Duncan Wood and Christopher Wilson write about the importance of the dialogue and the role of the vice president.

Vice President Joseph Biden is in Mexico to officially launch the U.S.-Mexico High Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) as a reflection of the enormous importance of U.S. - Mexico relations. Program Associate Christopher Wilson discusses why this matters.

In July, Mexico’s National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (CONEVAL) released new statistics on poverty in Mexico. They show that Mexico's poverty rate fell slightly, but that the number of people living in poverty actually increased. This short article first explains the various components of Mexico’s poverty measurements and then explores some potential explanations for contradicting trends in income‐based poverty and multidimensional poverty.

Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez, once the country’s most violent city, has seen violence drop dramatically in the last three years. The Woodrow Wilson Center’s Christopher Wilson explores whether the current government can do the same with Nuevo Laredo, the current epicenter of violence along the border.

“It’s a huge, huge buildup,” said Chris Wilson, an analyst at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. “We doubled the border patrol in the 1990s. We doubled it again in the first decade of the century. Now we’re considering doubling it again.”

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The Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute hosted the launch of the report "The U.S.-Mexico Border Economy in Transition." This report is drawn from a series of four U.S.-Mexico Regional Economic Competitiveness Forums in order to engage border region stakeholders in a process to collectively generate a shared vision and policy recommendations to strengthen economic competitiveness.

The Wilson Center's Mexico Institute hosted its Second Annual Mexican Security Review, The State of Citizen Security in Mexico: 2014 in Review and the Year Ahead. The forum provided a careful examination of security challenges in Mexico, featuring presentations from leading policy analysts. Of particular interest were the available indicators of crime trends, analysis of the specific policy measures of the Peña Nieto administration, and the efforts of civil society to confront recent security problems in Mexico.

The Woodrow Wilson Center's Mexico Institute hosted Enrique Jacob Rocha, the first director of Mexico's new National Entrepreneurship Institute (INADEM), to discuss the state of innovation and entrepreneurship in Mexico as well as the activities being undertaken by the government to foment them. His presentation was followed by commentary from Alberto Saracho, Executive Director of Fundación Idea.

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto will host President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Stephen Harper for the North American Leaders Summit on February 19. On the eve of the summit, the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute and Canada Institute will host a discussion of the key issues facing the region.

Francisco Guerrero, Electoral Councilor of the Federal Electoral Institute of Mexico (IFE), will present his book, The Vote of Mexicans Abroad: History, Reflections, and a Look toward the Future. Dr. Guerrero will also speak about current proposals for a political reform in Mexico and the evolving electoral system.

On July 23, 2013, speakers will present the main findings of the Global Development Horizons report, which explores patterns of investment, saving and capital flows as they are likely to evolve over the course of the next two decades. Experts from the Wilson Center will discuss how these economic patterns will affect various developing countries and regions.

As the United States and the European Union begin the negotiation of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, please join us for a conference to examine the challenges and opportunities of including Canada and Mexico in the agreement.

As the debate over immigration reform has brought the management of the U.S.-Mexico border back into the spotlight, the Mexico Institute is pleased to invite you to the launch of its new State of the Border Report.

How has the global economy changed, and what does it mean for innovation? How should we be thinking about innovation? What conditions are necessary for innovation to thrive? How can we attract greater investment for innovation activities? What types of government policies and regulations can strengthen innovation? How can we better integrate science and technology into practical applications? What are the barriers to innovation, and how can we overcome them? This publication summarizes the main themes of the High-Level Innovation Forum for Policymakers 2013 and highlights some lessons learned. The purpose of this paper is to aid in ongoing dialogue, the next stage of which will take place in Washington, DC in November, 2014 (The publication is available both in English and Spanish).

The 2015 budget debate is the first since Mexico's 2013 fiscal reform was implemented, offering an important opportunity to analyze the impact of the tax policy changes on public income, and consequently, on expenditures. Three issues—tax collection, public expenditure, and the national debt—are explored in this article, all in the context of Mexico’s structural reforms and brightening yet somewhat volatile economic prospects.

Recognizing that the situation in Tamaulipas had reached crisis levels, in May, 2014, Mexico's top security officials met with their state level counterparts in Tamaulipas to unveil a new security strategy. This short report analyzes the new strategy, describes the challenging local context, and offers a few recommendations that could serve to strengthen the effort.

The most common adjective used to describe Mexico’s southern border with Guatemala and Belize is probably ‘porous.’ The large volume of Central American migrants, including many families and unaccompanied minors, crossing the border on their way north to the United States suggests as much. In response to these challenges, and also in an effort to facilitate the legal flow of commerce, tourism and guest workers, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto launched the Programa Frontera Sur (Southern Border Program) on July 7, 2014.

The Mexico Institute is pleased to partner with USAID Mexico, the Council of State Governments West, the U.S. Congressional Border Caucus, and the North American Research Partnership on the “U.S.- Mexico Regional Economic Competitiveness Forums 2014.” This initiative brings together key business, government and other stakeholders to discuss the future of the U.S.-Mexico border economy with particular emphasis on four crossborder regions.

On April 2, 2014, Christopher Wilson, Mexico Institute's Associate testified in front of the House Committee on Homeland Security, addressing the issue of U.S.-Mexico security in particular regarding to cartel violence and activity.

At a time when nearly all of the key issues facing North America are being understood and addressed either independently by the United States, Canada and Mexico, or within the dual-bilateral framework of U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada relations, this report attempts to view these challenges and opportunities through a trilateral lens.

Duncan Wood and Christopher Wilson submitted a paper to the U.S.-Mexico CEO Dialogue in December 2013, putting forth ideas of priority areas where business leaders can engage with policy makers to take the next major step forward in integration.

On December 9, 2013, Christopher Wilson testified in front of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs,Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, addressing the issue of U.S.-Mexico trade and border management. His testimony focused on the development of a multifaceted approach to border management that promotes security, trade and competitiveness, and a high quality of life for those living in the border region.

David Rusk, a former mayor of Albuquerque, joins us for a look at his book, “Cities without Suburbs.” Blair Ruble joins the discussion. Christopher Wilson discusses the newly released “The State of the Border Report."